Victoria Hislop

On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding longs to find out about her mother's past. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before moving to London. When Alexis decides to visit Crete, however, Sofia gives her daughter a letter to take to an old friend, and promises that through her she will learn more. Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lies a stone's throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga - Greece's former leper colony. Then she finds Fotini, and at last hears the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. She discovers how intimately she is connected with the island, and how secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip...

The gripping new novel by Sunday Times Number One bestseller Victoria Hislop is set against the backdrop of the German occupation of Greece, the subsequent civil war and a military dictatorship, all of which left deep scars. Athens 1941. After decades of political uncertainty, Greece is polarised between Right- and Left-wing views when the Germans invade. Fifteen-year-old Themis comes from a family divided by these political differences. The Nazi occupation deepens the fault-lines between those she loves just as it reduces Greece to destitution. She watches friends die in the ensuing famine and is moved to commit acts of resistance. In the civil war that follows the end of the occupation, Themis joins the Communist army, where she experiences the extremes of love and hatred and the paradoxes presented by a war in which Greek fights Greek. Eventually imprisoned on the infamous islands of exile, Makronisos and then Trikeri, Themis encounters another prisoner whose life will entwine with her own in ways neither can foresee. And finds she must weigh her principles against her desire to escape and live. As she looks back on her life, Themis realises how tightly the personal and political can become entangled. While some wounds heal, others deepen.

From the internationally bestselling author of The Island comes a stirring novel about loyalty, love, and resilience in the face of tremendous upheaval—a saga of survival set during the 1974 Cypriot coup d’état that tells the intersecting stories of three families whose lives are decimated when brewing ethnic tensions erupt into conflict.Summer 1972—Famagusta is Cyprus’s most glamorous city and the most desirable tourist destination in the Mediterranean, and the Papacostas are right at the center of it. Aphroditi and her husband Savvas own The Sunrise, a wildly successful new luxury hotel. Frequented by only the very wealthiest of Europe’s elite, The Sunrise—especially its alluring nightclub—quickly becomes the place to see and be seen. Yet beneath the veneer of tranquil opulence simmers mounting hostility between the Greeks and the Turks. Years of unrest and ethnic violence come to a head when, in 1974, Greece’s coup d’état provokes a Turkish attack on beautiful Famagusta.The fallout sends the island’s inhabitants spiraling into fear and chaos, and the Papacostas join an exodus of people who must abandon their idyllic lives in Famagusta and flee to refugee camps. In the end, only two families remain in the decimated city: the Özkans and the Georgious. One is Turkish Cypriot, the other Greek Cypriot and the tension between them is palpable. But with resources scarce and the Turkish militia looming large, both families must take shelter in the deserted hotel as they battle illness, hunger, fear, and their own prejudices while struggling to stay alive.Juxtaposing a powerful narrative of war against the glittering affluence of the 1970s Mediterranean coast, The Sunrise is a moving story about the measures we take to protect what we love.

Beneath the majestic towers of the Alhambra, Granada's cobbled streets resonate with music and secrets. Sonia Cameron knows nothing of the city's shocking past; she is here to dance. But in a quiet café, a chance conversation and an intriguing collection of old photographs draw her into the extraordinary tale of Spain's devastating civil war. Seventy years earlier, the café is home to the close-knit Ramírez family. In 1936, an army coup led by Franco shatters the country's fragile peace, and in the heart of Granada the family witnesses the worst atrocities of conflict. Divided by politics and tragedy, everyone must take a side, fighting a personal battle as Spain rips itself apart. Captivating and deeply moving, Victoria Hislop's second novel is as inspiring as her international bestselling debut, The Island.

Sommeren 1972. Famagusta på Kypros er en av Middelhavets mest ettertraktede feriebyer – byen gløder av suksess og fremgang. Et ambisiøst par er i ferd med å åpne øyas mest spektakulære hotell, hvor tyrkisk- og gresk-kyprioter jobber side om side. De to nabofamiliene Georgiou og Özkan har flyttet til Famagusta for å komme unna all den politiske uroen og volden andre steder på øya. Men under Famagustas glamorøse glasur, er spenningen økende. Et gresk militærkupp setter øya på hodet, og Kypros står overfor en katastrofal konflikt. Tyrkia invaderer øya for å beskytte den tyrkisk-kypriotiske befolkningen, og Famagusta blir beleiret. 40 000 mennesker rasker med sine mest dyrebare eiendeler og flykter i panikk fra de fremrykkende militærstyrkene. Kun to familier blir igjen i den forlatte byen. Dette er deres historie.

25 Αυγούστου 1957: Η αποικία λεπρών στη Σπιναλόγκα κλείνει και ακολουθεί ένα γλέντι για την περίσταση στην Πλάκα, στο χωριό ακριβώς απέναντι. Οι υγιείς συναντούν τους πρόσφατα θεραπευμένους και όλοι μαζί τρώνε, χορεύουν και γιορτάζουν αυτή τη σπουδαία στιγμή απελευθέρωσης από τον φόβο και την αρρώστια. Όλα παγώνουν, ωστόσο, όταν ακούγονται δυο πυροβολισμοί. Η Άννα πέφτει νεκρή. Και το κλείσιμο της αποικίας θα μείνει συνδεδεμένο για πάντα με την τραγωδία. Το ζήτημα είναι πώς θα συνεχίσουν να ζουν αυτοί που έμειναν πίσω. Η αδελφή της η Μαρία, ο σύζυγος της Άννας ο Αντρέας, ο εραστής της ο Μανόλης… Πώς θα αντιμετωπίσουν το στίγμα και το σκάνδαλο. Πώς θα χτίσουν ένα μέλλον πάνω στα ερείπια του παρελθόντος.

A beautiful and epic novel that spans nearly a hundred years, The Thread is a magnificent story of a friendship and a love that endures through the catastrophes and upheavals of the twentieth century--both natural and man-made--in the turbulent city of Thessaloniki, Greece. Victoria Hislop, internationally bestselling author of The Island and The Return, has written a wonderfully evocative and enthralling saga enriched by deep emotion and sweeping historical events, from fire to civil war to Nazi brutality and economic collapse. The Thread is historical fiction at its finest, colorful and captivating with truly unforgettable characters--a novel that brilliant captures the energy and life of this singular Greek city.

*THE FIGURINE, the brand-new novel from Victoria Hislop, is available to order now.*'Excellent as ever. Victoria Hislop at her best.' Reader review'Within a few pages I was back in Greece and almost feeling the sun on my face.' Reader reviewBeloved author Victoria Hislop returns to Crete in this long-anticipated sequel to her multi-million-copy Number One bestseller, The Island.25th August 1957. The island of Spinalonga closes its leper colony. And a moment of violence has devastating consequences.When time stops dead for Maria Petrakis and her sister, Anna, two families splinter apart and, for the people of Plaka, the closure of Spinalonga is forever coloured with tragedy.In the aftermath, the question of how to resume life looms large. Stigma and scandal need to be confronted and somehow, for those impacted, a future built from the ruins of the past.Number one bestselling author Victoria Hislop returns to the world and characters she created in The Island - the award-winning novel that remains one of the biggest selling reading group novels of the century. It is finally time to be reunited with Anna, Maria, Manolis and Andreas in the weeks leading up to the evacuation of the island... and beyond.'A return to Hislop's thyme-scented, Aegean-lapped fictional Greece' The Sunday TimesDiscover for yourself why ten million readers worldwide love the novels of Victoria Hislop...'This dramatic, absorbing and good-natured novel abounds Greek Island atmosphere'Daily Mail on One August Night'Immersive storytelling sweeps you along'Mail on Sunday on One August Night'A dramatic story of love, betrayal and allegiances . . . Hislop evokes Greece beautifully'Woman & Home on One August Night'Hislop's love for Greece shines through this wonderfully descriptive and compelling tale'Sunday Express on One August Night'This love letter to Greece will sweep you away to another time and place'The Sunday Mirror on One August Night'Hislop expertly delves into the complex history of a fascinating country in this beautifully written family saga'Daily Mirror on One August Night'Compelling and moving, this is a real page turner'Woman's Weekly on One August Night'The descriptions of Greece leave you feeling like you're right there'Good Housekeeping on One August Night'A beautifully written story that will enchant the reader'The Express

In her irresistible new novel, Sunday Times No 1 bestselling author Victoria Hislop shines a light on the questionable acquisition of cultural treasures and the price people - and countries - will pay to cling on to them. Of all the ancient art that captures the imagination, none is more appealing than the Cycladic figurine. An air of mystery swirls around these statuettes from the Bronze Age and they are highly sought after by collectors - and looters - alike. When Helena inherits her grandparents' apartment in Athens, she is overwhelmed with memories of the summers she spent there as a child, when Greece was under a brutal military dictatorship. Her remote, cruel grandfather was one of the regime's generals and as she sifts through the dusty rooms, Helena discovers an array of valuable objects and antiquities. How did her grandfather amass such a trove? What human price was paid for them? Helena's desire to find answers about her heritage dovetails with a growing curiosity for archaeology, ignited by a summer spent with volunteers on a dig on an Aegean island. Their finds fuel her determination to protect the precious fragments recovered from the baked earth - and to understand the origins of her grandfather's collection. Helena's attempt to make amends for some of her grandfather's actions sees her wrestle with the meaning of 'home', both in relation to looted objects of antiquity ... and herself.